The Flowers of Their Love
by Yoruichi 'Ino
Summary: The flowers could easily describe how their love came to be. SasuIno


Okay…Here's the thing, I have tons of stories…but I can't find the time to type them. xD Well, this is a fic I had a bit of trouble with—major writer's block. But I pulled through, and here it is. It is dedicated to my new best friend, Drunksonic. Hope you guys like it!

**Warning:** Slight AU, but not really. Sasuke will mostly likely be OC, but I'll try to keep him IC.

**Disclaimer:** The mirror on the wall says I will never own Naruto! T-T

**Summary: **The flowers could easily describe how their love came to be. SasuIno

* * *

--The Flowers of Their Love--

* * *

**Gladiolus: Love at first sight…  
**It was the first day of the Academy when pure sky-blue eyes fell upon a spiky-haired figure for the first time. Ino Yamanaka grew very curious as to who this boy was. The blonde watched as this boy walked into the classroom with a tall figure. '_Probably his dad_.' Once all the parents had dropped off their children, Iruka-sensei announced it was time for the kids to introduce themselves. That's when Ino's eyes finally met those of Sasuke Uchiha. The Yamanaka smiled as she thought, '_He has the most incredible eyes_…' Suddenly, Ino noticed that Sasuke was staring right towards her. And he was smiling! A small blush appeared on Ino's cheeks. '_Why is my heart beating so fast_?' As the Yamanaka pondered on this question, she came to realize something: she was experiencing love at first sight.

**Love in a Mist: Perplexity…  
**A few days passed since Sasuke had meet Ino. The instant he saw her, he agreed that she was beautiful. However, there was something else about her that just caught his attention. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but there was something about the blonde that really confused him. Whenever Sasuke would try to approach Ino, she would turn various shades of red. She would even invent excuses to get away from him. For anyone who knew the Yamanaka, they'd recognize this as very peculiar behavior. "Do I do something wrong?" The youngest Uchiha would say. Yes, indeed, Ino Yamanaka really perplexed Sasuke Uchiha. So for now, the raven-haired boy would have to keep an eye on the blonde.

**Pink Gerbera: Friendship…  
**"Today is the day. Today I will talk to him, even if it kills me!" With that stated and a big smile on her face, Ino sat next to her raven-haired classmate. Sasuke looked up from the book he was reading and returned the smile that Ino was directing at him. The blonde took a deep breath and asked how he was doing. He answered good and asked the same question. The conversation started off light, but as they grew more comfortable, the ninjas in training talked as if they had known each other for years. Little by the little, the two kids found out they had so much in common. That faithful day was the start of their friendship.

**Purple Pansy: You occupy my thoughts…  
**Because of all the time they spent together, Sasuke often found himself thinking of his cerulean-eyed friend. Every day the Uchiha would await the next meeting with Ino with much anticipation. They would often play games or just talk—something that the obsidian-eyed boy liked very much. Ino was so easy to talk to and she actually cared about what happened to him. Ino would then teach Sasuke about all the flowers and their meanings, while Sasuke taught her his latest jutsus. After hanging out, the two would then go to the Yamanaka Flower Shop and have some small tomatoes or a bowl of pudding. When Sasuke wasn't with Ino, he'd close his eyes and her face would be plastered in his mind.

**Meadowsweet: Uselessness…  
**If there were ever a word to describe how Ino felt, the word useless would never come to mind. But now, that's exactly how the blonde felt. Just when everything was going great in Sasuke's life, the unthinkable occurred. Itachi Uchiha, Sasuke's hero, massacred the entire Uchiha clan. Sasuke had often told Ino that he loved his clan more than anything in the world. He even told her that his father was finally paying attention to him. And for Itachi to take that away was the worst thing possible. Now Ino had no clue of what to do. Should she let him be alone or go to him? The blonde had never felt so incompetent until now.

**Sardony: Irony...  
**Sasuke hugged his knees as he sat outside the Uchiha complex. It was too painful for him to be inside. Though it was pouring rain that should have made the Uchiha freeze, Sasuke didn't feel the coldness at all. All he felt was numbness. As he stared into the darkness, the image of Itachi standing over their parents' dead bodies replayed over and over in his mind. "Dammit, big brother! Why did you kill our clan?" Sasuke's body filled with rage towards his brother. Sasuke vowed to get rid of all emotions but one: hate. He'd need it to kill that monster of a man. Out of now where, Sasuke heard someone call out his name. Sasuke turned around to see a short figure running towards him. "Ino…" Here Sasuke was proclaiming to hate and kill Itachi, and yet, Ino—the girl he cared about the most—was hugging him and showing Sasuke her love for him.

**White Chrysanthemum: Truth...  
**After that day, Ino and Sasuke were never seen together again. Sasuke had become an avenger and loner. Ino was the exact opposite; the ever-caring blonde was always with someone. For all people knew, the two had never been friends. But no one had witness the night of the massacre to know the truth. That night Sasuke told Ino of his revenge. Ino tried to talk Sasuke out of it, but it was no use. The Yamanaka knew that once Sasuke had his mind set, nothing could ever change it. So Ino had no choice but to accept his vengeance.Before they departed from each other, the blonde told the raven-haired boy that she'd always be there for him because, "I love you, Sasuke." She was surprised to know that Sasuke felt something for her, too. "I'll wait then. Until your goal is complete." Ino hugged Sasuke quickly and the two parted ways.

**Red Balsam: Touch me not; Impatient resolves…  
**A few years passed and some things change dramatically. Sasuke was still the well-known loner, but in a way, Ino had become one as well. She was no longer the caring little girl she had once been. She was also no longer the popular girl she once was. All her supposed friends abandoned her, forcing Ino to wear a mask that said everything was alright. Sasuke couldn't help but feel guilty for not being able to comfort her. After all, she had been there when he had needed someone. Sasuke would often have an urge to embrace her whenever Team 7 and Team 10 would cross paths. But if they ever did cross paths, Sakura would cling onto the avenger for dear life. Ino would see this and glare daggers at the pink-haired nin's head. Then she would shift her eyes to lock them with those of Sasuke. He would give her a yearning look and curtly say, "Sakura. Let go," while still looking at Ino. The Uchiha would then smirk and walk away. Ino would smile brightly and walk in the opposite direction, leaving confused members of Team 7 and 10 behind.

**Night Convolvulus: Night…  
**If there was ever a time Ino liked the most, it would be night. The blonde would often sneak out her window and stroll through the park. Everything would be dark and quiet—the only light and sound coming from the moon and crickets. Ino would enjoy the tranquility by lying on the grass and looking at the stars. "Shikamaru is really rubbing off on me." It was her little routine, but tonight was different. Once the Yamanaka had reached her favorite spot, she noticed that _he_ was there. The most handsome and strongest of the Rookie Nine, Sasuke Uchiha, was lying in her spot looking up at the sky. A surprised look appeared on Ino's features as she looked at her crush. Finally getting over the shock of seeing Sasuke there, Ino lied next to her former guy best-friend. Ino's head turned to study the boy's features, when she noticed that he was smirking towards her. The both stayed beneath the moonlight, staring fondly towards one another.

**Moschatel: Weakness…  
**After the night in the park, Sasuke couldn't keep his mind off the cerulean-eyed blonde. To make matters worse, the Ino-Shika-Cho members had taken a liking to train near Team7's grounds—something Sasuke knew was all Ino's idea. It brought a smirk to his face when he'd see the Yamanaka going against her teammates. He knew that Ino was strong; he had sparred with her when they were younger. But even though he did like having Ino near him, it frustrated him even more that she was. Something about her being there made him lose his concentration. He would aim his shuriken at the targets and miss completely. If it wasn't that, he'd be sparring with Naruto, and the orange-wearing nin would actually strike Sasuke. "You're not getting weak, are you, Sasuke?" The Uchiha would let out a small growl and glare at Naruto. Ino was doing something to him, and it had to stop immediately.

**Helenium: Tears…  
**"He's gone…b-but why? Sasuke, why did you leave me?" A lonesome tear rolled down Ino's cheek. The flustered teen sat by her window, hugging her knees and staring out with lifeless eyes. The sun was shining brightly, birds were busy chirping, and the day was obviously mocking how Ino felt. The Yamanaka had woken up, bright and early, to go to Shikamaru's house. His mother told Ino that he had been given a mission earlier that day, and thanked Kami because otherwise he would have stayed in bed sleeping. Ino then raced to Konoha's gates to confront Shikamaru about why he didn't tell her he was not going to able to spend the day with her. She arrived only to watch Shikamaru, Chouji, Neji, Naruto, Kiba, and Akamaru leave. The blonde noticed Sakura there and questioned if she knew what mission Lady Tsunade had given the boys. "They're going to get Sasuke back! Ino, he left the village! He left to go to Orochimaru's to get that stupid power for his stupid revenge!" Ino turned on her heel, left a crying pink-haired girl behind, and ran home. Now here Ino was, wishing she could see the face of the boy who left with her heart.

**Lemon-Scented Geranium: Unexpected meeting…  
**It had been four years since Sasuke had left the village. As far as he was concerned, he was going to be gone until he completed his revenge. After that, he _might_ go back. After all, he still needs to start somewhere if he's going to revive his clan. The Uchiha had it all planned out. He was going to listen to Orochimaru so he could get stronger, ignore the people of Konoha who were trying to get him back, kill Itachi once he was strong enough, and then find someone to restart his clan with. Yes, he planned to follow this plan exactly. But he hadn't planned on seeing _her_. Meeting Ino on the hilltop in Sound's territory was unexpected. Sasuke had intended to get to the hill and think—as he often did. Instead, he arrived only to see the Yamanaka looking at the sun set. Out of the corner of her eye, Ino noticed him as well and said, "Sasuke. Come watch with me." Sasuke reluctantly obeyed by sitting inches away from her. Sasuke asked what she was doing there, and she answered she had recently finished a mission and just wanted time to think. She also said she was by no means trying to get him back. "Hn." They slowly made small talk and then Ino turned to face Sasuke. She leaned towards him and kissed him lightly. The sun finally set, but Ino and Sasuke stayed a while longer to enjoy the taste of one another.

**Dandelion: Wishes come true…  
**After that blissful night on the hilltop, Ino took on as many solo missions to Sound as she could. She'd finish them earlier than expected, but wouldn't return to Konoha straight away. Instead Ino would race to the hilltop to see if Sasuke was there. Most of the time he was there, but there were other times were she would have to wait for him to get there. Even though she'd sometimes have to wait for hours, Ino didn't mind much. It did annoy her sometimes to have to wait, but if she got to see Sasuke, everything would be fine with her. Being able to see him over and over again—with no one else knowing—was like a dream come true. Ever since the obsidian-eyed boy had left the Leaf Village, the cerulean-eyed beauty had wished she could see him one more time. "Please. Just once. I don't care if he ignores me; I need to see that he's okay." Ino prayed that this would someday happen, and to her immense joy, she obtained more than she bargained for. Ino got to meet Sasuke whenever she went to Sound and he'd be the one to kiss her—rather than the other way around. Though they'd have to keep their meetings a secret, Ino wouldn't have it any other way.

**Maidenhair Fern: Secret bond of love…  
**"Bonds, bonds, and more bonds. So the Leaf thinks they can get me back by sending Naruto, does it? Hn." Sasuke was right. More often times than not, the Lady Hokage would send Naruto to try to retrieve the raven-haired ninja. Naruto would then pull on his 'Sasuke I'm taking you to the village' crap, and then he and Sasuke would fight. With neither side winning, the kyuubi holder would pull on his bonds speech. Naruto would say things like Sasuke belonged in Konoha, and that Sound was not his home—the Leaf was. Then there was the whole he should be with Team 7, that they were best friends, and that they were practically family. 'It's all a bunch of crap.' The Uchiha would think as he stared at Naruto with a blank expression. The one thing that neither Naruto nor the Leaf realized was that Sasuke only care about one bond and one bond only; but it was a bond that no one knew about: the bond he shared with Ino. Even though he wouldn't admit it out loud, there was something that attracted him to the Yamanaka. He wasn't sure if it was love or not, but he knew he felt something for her. All Sasuke knew was that Ino was the most important of all the bonds he had, and to have no one know about it was perfect. It was his and Ino's little secret.

**Agapanthus: Love letters…  
**Ino and Sasuke continued to secretly see each other for half a year. After this time period, they stopped seeing each other. Both Ino and Sasuke felt that the Lady Hokage and Orochimaru were growing suspicious. And if either found out that Sasuke and Ino were dating, things would get bad. If Tsunade found out, Ino would never be able to set foot within Sound's territory. Some of Konoha's villagers would even consider the Yamanaka a traitor for mingling with the missing nin. If Orochimaru found out, the snake sanin might decide to put a curse mark on Ino. Sasuke definitely didn't want that. To prevent anything bad to happen, Sasuke proposed that the two stopped seeing each other all together. Ino retorted that she had waited to long to be with him and that she wouldn't be able to stay away. After some thought, Ino proposed that they communicate through flowers. "You should know the meanings after everything I've taught you." Ino said with a smirk. Sasuke merely reflected the smirk and agreed. After that day, the two communicated through flowers and occasional meetings at the border.

**Galega: Reason…  
**Many of the villagers thought that Naruto was the sole reason that Sasuke returned to Konoha. Others thought that the Uchiha merely returned because the fox had beaten the crap out of him. However, none of those reasons was the real purpose of his return. The Uchiha heir had grown tired of not being able to see the Yamanaka. The period he had spent away from Ino allowed Sasuke to sort out his feelings. More often time than not, the prodigy would find himself thinking of the blonde. At one point, he just decided that Ino was more important than his revenge; then Sasuke decided to kill Orochimaru and go back to the village. Not to long after that, Naruto arrived at their hidden lair. The fox, not knowing of Sasuke's plan, began to fight the Uchiha. Sasuke decided to play along, since he didn't want to seem suspicious by just returning on his own. Sasuke let Naruto win, and the two returned to Konoha. Once he recovered consciousness, the new ANBU Interrogator began to question why he came back. With a smirk on his handsome features, he answered, "I came back because of you, Ino."

**Bearded Crepis: Protection…  
**Once Sasuke had finally recovered from his wounds, Tsunade ordered the new Head of Interrogation to question the Uchiha over and over again to make sure he wasn't lying. After viewing Ino's reports, Tsunade finally set the Uchiha free. However, there was a catch. Since most villagers were uneasy that the "traitor" was back, Sasuke was to always be in the company of an ANBU member. "Tsunade-same, I'll do it! I mean, if you say it's okay, of course." The Lady Hokage, who finally found out about the relationship between Ino and Sasuke, agreed. Ino was ecstatic and rushed to where they had Sasuke imprisoned. "Sasuke, you're finally free. The only catch is that you have to be with me twenty-four-seven!" A look of confusion appeared on the ex-avenger's face; Ino merely laughed it off by saying, "C'mon! Let's go! I need to show you the village." Sasuke hn-ed her and told her he remembered the village just fine, and that he just wanted to go home and sleep. The Yamanaka agreed and they left the Interrogation office. As they walked to the Uchiha Compound, many villagers glared at Sasuke. Practically everyone knew Sasuke could well on protect himself, but what they didn't know was that Ino wouldn't allow anyone to disrespect Sasuke. So the blonde reflected the glares right back, and everyone quickly calmed down. No one wants to mess with Ino.

**Coral Honeysuckle: The color of my fate…  
**It took all of Sasuke's will to finally gain the village's trust again. Four months was actually not a bad time for Sasuke. As a congratulation, the Lady Hokage pronounced the Uchiha as part of the ANBU Black Ops. Then there were the second most important people in his life: Sakura, Naruto, and Kakashi. The four reestablished a solid friendship and were closer than ever. The raven-haired man wasn't at all surprised that Naruto and Sakura were practically engaged. He was, however, utterly shocked that Kakashi had chosen to be with Anko. But if they were happy, who was Sasuke to come between them? After all, no one was coming between him and the most important person in his life. Well, if no one counted the fan girls who had returned to chase Sasuke. Besides that, things were going great between Sasuke and Ino. In fact, the day Sasuke had gotten out of imprisonment, the Uchiha asked Ino to come live with him. After all, he needed to be with an ANBU all day and night. What a better place to be in than in his house, and in his bedroom? Things were definitely looking up for Sasuke. If you asked him, his fate was looking pretty good.

**American Linden: Matrimony…  
**Everywhere around Ino, couples were getting married: the non-surprising Naruto and Sakura, the adorable Hinata and Kiba, the shocking Temari and Shikamaru, and the bewildering TenTen and Neji. In each of those weddings, Ino was asked to be the maid of honor. Of course the blonde accepted, but she couldn't help but be a little sad at seeing all her friends getting married before her. "Ugh! You know, for a prodigy, Sasuke's kinda slow. I mean, doesn't he get the clues I give him? 'What do you think of this _engagement_ ring, Sasu?' Seriously, isn't that practically shouting at him to ask me to marry him already?" Ino told her friends of her predicament. They said that she and Sasuke already lived together, so what was the point of having _papers_ say they're married. "But a wedding does matter to me! Kami, you guys should remember that feeling you had when you walked down the aisle and looked at your guy waiting for you at the alter. Then at the end when you finally get to have his last name. I want to know that feeling." Sakura, Hinata, Temari, and TenTen left shortly after the blonde's words with a mischievous smile on their faces. They knew something Ino didn't. Ino was oblivious to the whole situation and went to her bedroom. Sasuke had said he had a mission to do earlier that day, so Ino found no point in waiting for him. But when Ino opened the bedroom door, she was astonished to see the room filled with rose petals and lighted candles…and Sasuke holding out a heart-shaped diamond ring. "Ino Yamanaka, will you please marry me and become the new Lady Uchiha?" With tears of joy trailing down Ino's cheeks, the blonde accepted.

**Lily of the Valley: Return of happiness…  
**The couple decided to wed that spring—six months after Sasuke's proposal. Ino was incredibly busy with invitations, flower arrangements, decorations, and dress shopping. After months of planning, the wedding day finally came. Sasuke waited anxiously for Ino in front of the alter. As he looked around, he saw many familiar faces. Among them were his best-man Naruto, and standing to him were Kiba, Neji, and Chouji. In the seats, Sasuke spotted Gaara and Kankuro sitting next to Lee. The Uchiha wasn't a bit surprised since Ino and Gaara had practically become brother and sister. That was all thanks to Shikamaru taking the blonde on many trips to Suna to visit Temari. Sasuke nodded in the red-haired man's direction; Gaara did the same. The time finally came for the wedding to start. The music started playing and out came the flowers girls, and Maid of Honor: Hinata, TenTen, Temari, and Sakura. Lastly came, Ino and Shikamaru. Since the Yamanaka's father had recently dies, Ino asked Shikamaru if he could do the honors of being Inoichi's replacement—question to which the Nara had agreed. The shadow possessor handed his nearly sister to Sasuke and took his place next to Naruto. After Ino smile at the friends around her, the ceremony commenced. She and Sasuke finally said their "I do's" and then left the church with smiling faces. The immense joy that had left them both when Itachi killed the Uchiha clan and when Sakura declared she and Ino rivals finally came back. And neither of the two Uchiha's wanted that feeling to go away ever again.


End file.
